


Lost episode

by myotishia



Series: All ye who enter here [9]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: imagine Tosh writing mock creepypastas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-11 12:17:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19927954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: A small issue of finding damaging footage becomes a huge problem when the effects spread to public broadcast.





	1. episode one

**Author's Note:**

> New reader? Start right [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18551278)

Ianto looked up, hearing the hidden door open. Elise stood nursing a recognisable box.

“The good stuff? What happened?” He asked as she placed the crispy creme box in front of him.

“I need a favour and I need you to not tell anyone.”

“Anyone?”

“Anyone.” She kept her hand rested over the box.

He considered for an elongated moment. “Fine, what do you need?”

She took her hand away and sighed. “You have a record of rift fluctuations, right?”

“Yes.” He narrowed his eyes at her.

“I need to know the readings from the weevil fight club thing. One day before and at least a week after.”

“You know you can access that on the computer.” He took a donut and lent back in his chair. 

“Tosh can see that. I need this completely off the record.”

“Can I ask why?”

“I couldn’t remember what happened that night but when that doctor read my mind… Something got dug up. I need to know if it was a real memory or something she scrambled together out of dreams and bits of other memories.”

“And why don’t you want anyone to know?”

“They’ll want to get involved. Please, don’t tell anyone.” She pressed her hands together as if in prayer. 

“Ok, I’ll get you those numbers.”

“Thank you, you’re the best.” She ran around and hugged him around the shoulders. “Right, I’d better get back before they realise you’re getting the fancy donuts.”

“And what am I telling them this is for?”

“Help with paperwork.”

“Jacks going to want to start bribing me with donuts for the same thing.”

“You’d be the size of a house by the end of the year.”

Tosh batted Owens hand away from her donut as if she hadn’t noticed him quietly reaching over. He pouted but decided he should probably get up to grab another. It had cooled off significantly and autumn was in the air, bringing with it the urge to eat more sugar than was healthy. Gwen was lent back in her chair, one hand rested on her bump. 

“Is junior letting you sleep?” Asked Owen as he grabbed another donut from the box. 

“Mostly. I keep looking at the baby books and I can’t believe that this is going to get even bigger.” She poked her bump. “My back’s already aching.”

“I’m saying nothing. I value my life too much to comment.” He stuffed the glazed donut into his mouth.

“I haven’t become that cranky yet. Cheeky sod.”

Tosh giggled. “How far along are you now?”

“Twenty one weeks, give or take a few days.”

“It’s been that long already? I completely lost track of time.”

“What inspired this little donut party anyway?”

“Elise said she had to pay Ianto back for helping her with something so that meant donuts. Leaving the rest of us out would be rude so here we are.”

“Awww.”

“I know… Where’s Jack? Usually just the scent of sweet treats has him here trying to stuff them into his cheeks like a squirrel.”

“He’s looking at one of those old TVs in his office. It just looked like static to me.”

Owen and Tosh shared a concerned look.

“I didn’t get an alert for any signals.” Tosh said. 

“You know what that means.”

“Nooo, I hate those things.”

Gwen looked between them. “Care to fill me in here?”

“Have you ever heard of a lost episode?”

“Of a tv show? Yea, but how would that be affecting an old tv?”

“No, not just an episode that no one has a copy of. A lost episode. They’re usually modified versions of childrens media but they could be any programme. Only a limited amount of people see them but they have some kind of memetic effect that can cause depression, anxiety, visual and auditory hallucinations. The episodes start normal but soon descend into psychedelic or extremely violent scenes that have never been produced by the original creators, even though the styles and voices are accurate to the original. They’re most often found on old video tapes or home burnt cds but we can never find a source for them. To cover any actual reports about them we’ve been posting intentionally cliche, and badly written, short stories on message boards for a few years. Every time one turns up we get a small warning when the static in those sets starts following a pattern. They’re a pain to find and a nightmare to try and analyse.” Tosh picked up her donut and lent back in her chair. “I hope it’s just a false alarm.”

“What could even make something like that?”

“If we knew that we’d have a better chance of stopping them turning up permanently.” Owen sulked, remembering the mess he had to fix last time. “Unless it’s played it doesn’t show any sign of being different from a normal tape.”

“Who still uses tapes anyway?”

“Some people collect them. Other people don’t have the cash to get things new and tapes are a cheap way to shut the kids up for an hour.”

Gwens eyes shot wide. “Kids are seeing these things?!” 

“The kids aren’t the problem. They brush all that shit off like a nightmare. It’s the teens and parents we have a problem with. As soon as one shows up the suicide rates skyrocket.”

Tosh wiped the glaze from her fingers. “I have a theory that the tapes themselves were just normal at one point but something gathers all the darkest parts of the populations minds and uses those thoughts to manipulate the tape. It’s like data collection. See how the general populous is feeling at any one time by copying everyone's worst thoughts to be studied.”

“But humans have intrusive thoughts that I don’t think it was made to separate from general feelings.”

“I think it’s getting worse each time too.”

“Don’t start with the worst case scenario. Not even you could shut down the whole internet.”

Tosh scoffed. “Shutting it down would be the easy part. Finding every effected video file among the billions out there would be the tough part. Not impossible, but very tricky.”

“And I get told I’m big headed.”

“That’s because I keep my ego in check. There’s something just over your shoulder.”

“What?” He turned to find Elise an inch from his face. She laughed when he jolted in surprise. “How do you do that?!”

“Do what?” She smirked, rubbing glaze from the side of his mouth like a fussy mother while he tried to wave her away.

“Walk silently around here. You wear heavy boots and I can still never hear you moving around.”

“It’s a secret I learned from Ianto but apparently it’s the beginner version. Jack is the only one who knows true hub stealth movement.” She said, keeping a straight face. 

She perched on the corner of his desk and looked over at Jacks closed office door.

Gwen followed her gaze. “Think we should check on him?”

As if on cue the door opened and Jack emerged, looking his usual unreadable self. 

“See anything that’s going to be a problem?” Asked Owen.

“Not sure. The pattern’s different this time. We should still be cautious.”

“I’ve already set up monitoring on the usual message boards and blogging platforms.” Tosh said.

He smiled. “I can always rely on you to be one step ahead of me.”

“And there’s donuts.”

“And this morning’s back on track.” 

Ianto looked through the hidden bookcase, that he kept his old journals in, for the last one he’d completed. He was curious as to what Elise thought she’d remembered. Jack had told him about how spaced out she’d been just afterwards and the guilt he felt for putting her in that position. 

He pulled the notebook from the shelf and flicked through, pausing to read over the dates every so often. There, he remembered writing about the crushed blades that were scattered around the area when he’d been part of the final sweep of the building. Scar, the weevil, had spent the time huffing and trying to keep him away from them out of some kind of concern that he’d hurt himself. It was a surreal experience. 

Thinking about it they hadn’t seen a single sign of Billis since that day. Maybe he’d done something that backfired. It would explain the flash of light and Elise’s memory loss. The readings he’d recorded did show that something had been pulled into the rift but the blip had been so small it would have been otherwise overlooked. He grabbed a notepad and pen to copy over the numbers. The next days entry mentioned Elise having a bad headache and mildly blurred vision. She’d brushed it off as stress and just pushed through it to buff out the scratches on the metal of her left palm. A niggling worry poked at the back of his mind.

He stood and went to grab the dream diary she’d handed over. He wanted to cross reference it with his own records. 

Tosh sighed. “We’re going to have a lot of tapes to go through.”

“I’m not watching Bambi again.” Grumbled Owen, twirling a pen between his fingers.

“You watched the first ten minutes then fell asleep… Twice.” She rolled her eyes but couldn’t hold back her smile. 

“Exactly. It was that boring.”

“I feel sorry for your inner child.”

“My inner child fell asleep too.”

“I’ll watch them with you if he’s going to be cranky about it.” Elise smiled, remembering the first time she’d watched Bambi as a child.

“I didn’t think you were a disney fan.”

“I’m not but it’s nostalgic, isn’t it. My dad got me a huge collection of the dvds for my fifth birthday. As long as we don’t watch the little mermaid or finding nemo I’m good. Those both make me legitimately anxious.”

“We’ll get Owen to watch those. He’s only cranky because he’d never seen the lion king before and we got to the stampede-” Tosh teased before Owen cut her off.

“That’s a twisted scene. Who the fuck thought it was ok to show the dads dead body to kids?” He huffed trying to hide his embarrassment. Gwen smiled over at them warmly, appreciating the calm mood. 

Elise stood. “Well,for now I’ve got some walkway maintenance to do.”

“Anything major?”

“Naa. Just a few bolts that need replacing, little bit of welding. Nothing huge. Myfanwy’s nest needs a little TLC if she’ll let me.”

“Isn’t that Ianto’s job?”

“He has better things to do than argue with a sassy prehistoric bird.”

Ianto opened the dream diary, carefully taking out the Doctors notes and filing them separately. He hadn’t fully studied the book before and recognised some of the images as things he’d encountered or seen records of before. The pages were only dated at the start of each month but it wasn’t too difficult to find the days he was looking for. 

Her writing was larger than usual and seemed messier. He could see where tears had smudged the ink and picked up graphite from the sketches. With all the pieces he could make a vague mental timeline. Whatever happened in that warehouse had some sort of impact on the part of her connected to the rift and pulled Billis inside and wiped her memory. In the aftermath her contact in the rift was left dealing with the effects on the other side. That small blip had left ripples that had likely been stronger there than they were on the Earth side. Due to that Elise had taken a break from writing about it. The next entry was after she was kidnapped and she was still recovering, having mentioned that Owen had told her to rest and that her wrist was still deeply bruised. He wondered whether he should ask her to just tell Tosh so they’d have access to all of the recordings from those days. They needed to talk. He took his phone and sent her a text: (Translated from Welsh) I have the numbers you wanted. Want to go for lunch if you’re not busy later?

He wondered if she’d catch on that he was just as pulled into the mystery as she seemed to be. He liked the puzzles and mysteries Torchwood dealt with, just not the running and risk of death. 

Elise pulled up her welding mask and reviewed her work. Done. She could let Myfanwy back into her nesting area, though she was taking the motorbike helmet the pteranodon had been trying to hatch like a fiberglass egg. With that taken she pulled down the thick, fireproof, fabric that had the area sealed off. Myfanwy screeched and landed, throwing her bedding around with her beak in a temper.

“Oh stop it. This is better than knocking chunks of metal down on our heads.” She rolled her eyes and collected her gear, walking off to store it all away. Once it was tidy she checked her phone and took a deep breath before replying that she was free to meet him for lunch. She just needed to shower quickly.

Ianto waited for her after getting a list of what everyone else wanted when they got back. When she walked up to him she looked stressed. 

“You ok?” He asked with a warm smile.

She nodded. “I’m fine. Just hungry. Did you get those readings for me?”

“Yep.” He handed her an envelope with multiple documents inside. “And a few other things. We can talk about it over cake.”

“You’re going to sugar crash later.”

“I don’t mean for me. You look like you could use it.”

“Do I look that bad?”

“Kind of.”

Elise rubbed her face. “Ok. Cake it is. I just hope these readings show me what I want to see.”

“That depends on what you want to see.”

Tosh hated negotiating for tapes, or anything really, on message boards and closed groups. As soon as people saw she was female on her profile their whole attitude changed. She would have just used a fake profile but if she had to collect any of the items then her details had to match. She’d got a lead on a possible lost episode tape but its current owner was a walking stereotype of the worst kind. Most collectors were older but a few of the newbies were socially inept to say the least. The user she was negotiating with, screen name SamuraiRyoko, was every bit the ‘nice guy’. If she didn’t need to get hold of the tape she would have told him to take a long walk off a short pier six messages ago. If he wasn’t using a VPN she would have just got his address and they’d just confiscate the damn thing. It sounded like a legitimate tape at least so it wouldn’t all be wasted effort. 

“We could meet and I can deliver the tape personally.” Flashed the message on her screen. She shuddered at the idea but it had to be done.

“Where would be convenient?”

“You’re in Cardiff aren’t you? So am I.”

Oh wonderful, he was a local. “I am. Where and when should we trade?”

“I know of a few places. Tomorrow?”

“I can meet tomorrow. Just send me the address.” Usually she’d insist on somewhere public but as it was a work deal there was no chance of her going alone. 

“I’ll send you a text. What’s your number?”

She cringed and pulled up a burner phone number she could activate on one of the handsets they had in storage, sending it to him. She could wipe it the second she had the tape in her hand. An alert popped up on her screen, three other files with memetic effects had been uploaded, and automatically quarantined by the Torchwood computer system, to message boards. One was a single image that was a known hazard, duplicating itself and sending itself like a virus. Pulling itself together over and over from fragments of data. The other two were video files that held all the markers of being ‘lost episodes’. She sent another message.

“Did you copy that tape and upload the file?”

“No. I haven’t got the machinery to convert it, why?”

“Never mind. It was a fake.”

“It takes a refined eye to catch such things.”

If he was being truthful then the effect had indeed gotten worse. 

Elise had opened the envelope and began reading. Her stomach dropped though she appreciated all the extra information Ianto’d included. 

“Is it what you wanted to see?” He broke the silence, sipping his drink.

She looked up from the pages. “No… It… It really isn’t.” 

“Come on. What’s on your mind? Why are you keeping this to yourself?”

“Ianto… I think I did something bad.”

“Like what?” He placed down his drink and focused his attention on her. 

“The small rift spike… I think it was a portal and I threw Billis into it… I think I was the one who opened it.” She stared down at the table, her appetite lost.

“Are you sure?”

“I can’t be completely certain but all the pieces I can put together point that way… I don’t know what to do.” A lump formed in her throat and she bit into her lip. 

“Elise, it’s ok. You were defending yourself. You shouldn’t hide a new power. We have to know about it to help you.”

“It’s not just a new ability. I feel like… I partly lost myself. I was me but I wasn’t. Like I was watching what was happening from just outside of my body. I was angry and that’s all I could feel… I don’t know how to tell them. I don’t want it to happen again but, preventing it means exploring it and I just want to pretend it doesn’t exist.”

“I’ll tell them if you can’t. I don’t think the reaction will be as bad as you think. If anyone can understand it’s us.”

“Maybe… It’s hard enough looking at myself and seeing a monster, I don’t want anyone else to see me like that.”

“You’re not a monster. The fact that you’re feeling this scared about it means your not. You need to look past what’s in the mirror, the scars aren’t all you are.”

She looked up at the sorrow in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put this all on your shoulders.”

“No. I’d rather you talked to me than bottle it up.”

“Thanks… How are you feeling about your own scars?”

“I…” He paused and took a breath to solidify his thoughts. “It’s getting easier to look at without the dread sinking in.”

“Time helps.”

“I just wish it wasn’t so… Ugly.”

“I’m sure it’s not as ugly as you think… Why don’t you get it inked over?”

“A tattoo?” He laughed softly.

“Why not? Lots of people do it. Turn the trauma into something you can look at and be proud. I’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo myself.”

“Of what?”

“I have a few sketches.” She pulled a small notebook from her bag and flicked through to the page before handing it over. “What do you think?”

“I like it. It’s very you. Where were you thinking of having it?”

“I haven’t decided yet but… If you want we could go together. I could have it in the same place you have yours, if you want to cover it up that is. No pressure.”

“No. I like that idea. It was something I never got to do in my teenage rebellion phase. Now could be the perfect time.” He smiled softly. “Feeling better?”

“I am… Thanks. You?”

“Yea. I’ve just realised, you’re my bad influence.”

“No, Jack’s your bad influence. I’m just your enabler.” She smiled, taking back the notepad and slipping it back in her bag. Behind the cafe counter they heard the wail of a small child. A stressed looking waitress ran over to comfort the little girl that had descended into hysterics, her eyes were locked on the small TV. Ianto stood to see what was wrong and the second the screen came into view he felt a pull at his mind. He walked over and tried to keep his voice quiet.

“Is that a video?” 

The waitress shook her head. “N-no. It’s channel one.”

“Digital or analogue?”

“Digital. Why?” 

He reached over and pulled the plug from the wall, snapping the waitress out of her semi trance state. She immediately carried the still screaming child away and Ianto placed on his earpiece.

“Tosh. You need to block the digital signal for BBC 1. It’s playing a lost episode.”

Jack cursed himself for not realising the change of signal was why the static pattern was different.

“Any idea how this happened Tosh?”

“Well it wasn’t an accident. The analogue broadcast was completely normal. I think it was like the old broadcast interruptions just modernised. I’ve patched the vulnerability that allowed them access and released a filter that will install itself on home digital receiver boxes. Whoever uploaded the footage is no amateur and they must have a powerful setup.” 

“Think you can track them down?”

“Not from any trace they left. The file itself was uploaded via a public wifi connection using an almost blank machine with a fresh linux install. The only thing I can get is that they uploaded it from within the city. Partially from a mcdonalds and partly from a library. None of the cameras captured them.”

“Then this was all a premeditated attack.”

“I’ll keep searching.”

“Why would anyone even want to spread something like that around?” Asked Gwen, unable to fathom the mindset behind it.

“We’ve had cases where the effect didn’t just show the viewer traumatic images but also encourage them to spread it, as if they would feel better if they weren’t alone.” Jack looked past Gwen at Ianto and Elise returning. They’d stayed back to speak to the waitress.

Elise held up one of the bags. “We bring food and another reason to never watch the little mermaid.”

  
  



	2. Episode two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team are trying to track down the broadcast hijacker. (A little Ianto angst ahead)

Tosh sat with Owen on a bench at the park, waiting for her contact to show up.

“I can’t believe he chose the park. If he turns up in a trench coat and a fedora I’m not going to be able to keep a straight face.” Owen smirked, leaning back to look up at the sky.

“Well one of us has to stay serious.”

“And I’m just saying it’s not going to be me.”

Tosh rolled her eyes and tried to look upset but she couldn’t hide her smile. She didn’t know why she expected anything different. 

A man in a black coat, the collar pulled up, walked over looking nervous. 

“Um.. Are you … um… SecretTeamTech?” He asked, all of his digital bravado gone.

Tosh nodded. “SamuraiRyoko?”

“Yes. That’s me. I’m Sam... I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to be so beautiful in real life.”

Tosh cringed internally but felt Owen wrap his arm around her middle. “And taken in real life too.”

Sams expression went from surprised, to devastated, to mildly angry in seconds.

“The tape?” Tosh decided to step in before the punch up began.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a plain black tape case. “I’d hoped we could talk about it over coffee.”

“I need to get back to work.”

Owen smiled, knowing that he’d won this battle before it even started.

“Does he treat you right? You don’t have to worry. I can defend your honour.” Sam asked, trying to come off as some knight in shining armour but looking more like a child trying to look tough in front of his friends. 

She took the tape and slipped it safely into her bag, standing to leave. “He treats me very well, not that it’s any of your business.”

“W-well I bet he’s not as smart as you deserve. I bet he doesn’t even have a job. I could provide for you better than he ever could.”

Owen finally broke, bursting out laughing. “Mate, give it up. She’s not interested and I’m a doctor. I make more in a week than you do in a year.”

Sam looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. “He’s no good for you, you’ll see.” He grumbled before running off. Owen still laughing. 

“What just happened?” Asked Tosh, finding the laughter kind of infectious. 

“He thought he could be your knight in sweaty armour.”

She mock gagged. “Ug. Come on. Let’s get back and see if this tape’s legitimate.”

“He forgot to even ask for money.”

Ianto looked over at Gwen and Elise, both looking over a notebook. He could see blocks of colour but no detail. They seemed to be happy, whatever they were looking at. He felt a little bad that he was likely about to ruin the mood. 

“You called?” Said Jack, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

“Can we talk privately?”

“Always.”

“I mean actually talk.”

“Less fun but still. What’s on your mind?”

He wondered if Jack understood what in private actually meant, when it didn’t involve removing any clothing, as he hadn’t moved. He decided it was just easier to lead him away so they were at least out of earshot. Jack followed, his curiosity piqued. 

“So, you remember the weevil fight ring incident. We couldn’t work out what the flash of light was.”

The captain nodded.

“When Dr Bird invaded Elises mind it brought some fractured memories to the surface and we think we worked out what happened.”

“That’s good news, why do you look like you’re about to go to a funeral?”

“The tangled mess of blades was a weapon left by Billis when he was thrown into the rift.”

“So his tricks caught up with him, huh?”

“Yes and no. We don’t think he was the one to open the portal. From what we’ve pieced together Elise might have been the source of the rift activity.”

“I thought that was just a blip. Either she completely closed off that portal or it never existed.”

“Theoretically it was the former. She hadn’t intended to open a portal, from what she tells me it was a dissociative episode of some kind. Like it opened itself through her.”

“That’s ... “ He thought deeply for a moment, remembering the doctors description of Elises condition. ‘You are part of the rift and the rift is part of you’. “The rift made the decision.”

“What?”

“The rift is as much a part of Elise as she is of it. It fed off her emotions and made a decision for itself. In a lesser way it’s gained a kind of sentience through her.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on her. Why didn’t she tell me herself?”

“She’s scared and feels a bit guilty. She hasn’t told anyone else about it.”

“Guilty?”

“Killing someone in self defence is one thing, throwing them into the twisted hellscape of the rift is another.”

“After everything he did it’s the same to me. Tell her I want a word with her.”

“Yes sir.”

“And what’s all this about getting a tattoo?” A mischievous smile spread across Jacks lips, replacing the mix of exasperation and concern. 

Ianto was taken aback. “How did you…?”

“You left your phone unlocked last night when you fell asleep.”

“You went through my phone?”

“No, the page was open. It was hard to miss.”

“Well… What do you think?”

“If it’s on you I’m sure I’ll like it. What brought up the idea?”

He unconsciously rubbed at his side over the brand scar. 

Jack rested a hand over his. “If you want to cover it up you can but do it for you, not because of what you believe other people will think.”

“I know.” He breathed. 

Jack had been so careful not to pull any attention to the permanent mark but he knew how much it bothered Ianto. When it was still healing and covered it hadn’t been an issue but once it had settled into a scar it was just an awful reminder of the night it had been burned into his flesh. Theoretically he’d been through worse but the feeling of being physically marked by the experience had dug deep into his soul. The first time he’d seen it completely uncovered he’d broken down, panic spreading that awful numbness through his limbs that just made it so much worse. Jack had found him curled up on the floor, terrified and shaking. Talking it out had helped, along with a course of antidepressants that eased the tsunami of panic that hit him each time. He was getting better but maybe changing what it looked like would lessen the effect. It was worth trying. 

“Hey, you’re still with me, right?” Asked Jack, his voice soft and warm.

“I’m ok.”

“You sure?”

Ianto smiled softly. “Yea.” 

Gwen closed the notebook she’d been given to look at. Talking about normal things always helped her feel a little more grounded. Working for Torchwood often made life seem surreal and dreamlike so being pulled back down to earth was a necessity once in a while. She jumped a little as the baby kicked, feeling like butterflies in her stomach.

“You ok?” Asked Elise as she took the notebook back.

“Yea. Baby’s kicking.”

“Aww, junior’s awake. Hi junior.” She smiled warmly.

“I doubt she can understand you.” Gwen chuckled.

“Still. I don’t want her to be scared of me if she ever meets me.”

“Ok, multiple things. One why would she be scared and two why wouldn’t you meet her?”

“Kids and animals can see things that adults can’t. I don’t know how I’ll look to her. And it’s not like here’s a safe place to bring a baby.”

“You can still visit and let’s face it, she’s going to end up coming here at some point. I just hope it’s not because the world’s ending.”

“Think we could convince Myfanwy to fly in circles like a mobile?”

“Just tie some meat on a stick to her head.”

They both giggled but it was cut short by Ianto’s sudden appearance.

“Jack wants a word.” He said to Elise, showing no signs of worry to ease her concerns. 

“Oh, ok. Before I go, here.” She flicked open the notebook to the last used page and handed it to him. “I just thought I’d put a design idea together for you. I figured we could start brainstorming. Be back soon.” She rushed off before he had a chance to comment. He smiled at the image. 

Jack hated having to be serious with his staff. He spent enough time being serious while actually working. He hoped he could keep this relatively light. Elise knocked on the door before peeping round.

“You wanted to talk to me?”

“Don’t look so scared. Come in.” He smiled. 

She closed the door behind her and sat, hands folded on her lap like a schoolchild in the head teachers office. “I’m guessing Ianto told you.”

“He did. I’m mostly upset you felt you couldn’t tell me yourself.” 

“I barely want to think about it myself. Anyway, in the original timeline you fired Owen for ripping open the rift.”

“Difference being you didn’t rip open the rift. The way I see it the rift opened up and swallowed Billis out of vengeance for tampering with time so much.”

“It’s a tear in space and time. It doesn’t have any concept of revenge. You’re the one who says not to anthropomorphise these things.”

“Think of it more like an immune reaction. Billis kept damaging time and the rifts defences took notice.”

“And what does that make me?”

“It makes you in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Jack, please stop trying to act that I had no part of this. It makes it feel so much worse.”

“I never said you had no part in it. If you weren’t there then the rift would have had no focus to take a single person.”

“Aren’t you worried?”

“A little but as far as I can tell as long as no one actively messes with the rift it won’t happen again. The vortex manipulator is keeping you grounded so don’t let this thing get to you.” 

“If you’re sure.” She looked down at the band around her wrist. 

He lent forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “Did Ianto tell you he’s thinking of getting a tattoo?”

She looked up and began laughing. “Quick change of subject there. Anyway, I may have, kind of, given him the idea. I thought it might help him and I’m going to get something done anyway. It’s less scary when you’re not alone.”

“You’re a bad influence on him.”

“He said that, but the way I see it you’re the bad influence. I’m just the enabler.”

“Then carry on.”

She giggled. “You’re not meant to support that kind of thing.”

“It makes him happy. That’s all I care about.”

With the tape safely contained Tosh turned her attention back to the broadcast interruption. The filters she’d set up blocked two more attempts to show affected footage, both being childrens programming. One episode of ‘Dora the Explorer’ and one episode of ‘Postman Pat’. This meant the one trying to spread the episodes had a collection. She logged back on to the message board, looking through profiles for a collector with those specific shows. Three people said they had all three. Obviously they could all easily be fake but it was something to look into. The first was a well known con artist that hadn’t logged on in six months, the second seemed a little more legitimate but according to their post history they’d had a house fire that had destroyed half of their collection. The third was a familiar name that Tosh had hoped she wouldn’t have to deal with again. Sam the creep. She set up a search for any more information on him, leaving the system to scan overnight. While that was running there was one more thing she could check. 

“Ianto, did the waitress say exactly what she saw when the broadcast changed?”

He looked over and considered for a moment. “I think she said Ariel had a harpoon through her chest.”

“Do we have a VHS player anywhere? The last one we had shorted out last time we had one of these.”

“Let me take a look. I think we have one more in storage. I’ll order another just in case.”

“Thanks.” She took the tape from its box and studied it. “Mind sitting with me Owen?”

Owen turned his chair to her, pulling himself up from his slumped position. “I’ve got nothing better to do. I can check it if you’re not up to fending off the effects.” 

“I’ll be fine. I don’t plan to view the whole thing. Just that scene.”

“You think old Sammy boy is our TV hijacker?”

“It’s possible. Honestly I hope not. I don’t want to deal with him again.” 

Ten minutes later Ianto returned. “We had two left but neither work apparently. They were tested when we got them but it looks like the last tremor we had damaged them. I’ve got a couple to be delivered tomorrow. You can try and fix one if you want.”

Tosh sighed. “That’s ok. Thanks for looking. My filters are stopping them doing any damage so I can wait until tomorrow. I’ll fix them when I have some free time.”

“I’ll leave them in Elises workshop so they’re not in your way.”

“It’s officially her workshop now?”

“Unofficially.”

“Secret team officially.”

He smiled knowingly in reply.

That night when Tosh and Elise got home, Elise looked through the post that had fallen to the doormat. Junk mail, bill, catalogue and a letter that simply had “Tosh” written on the envelope. 

“Sweet pea? Does anyone other than the guys know our address?”

Tosh took a bottle of water from the fridge. “No, why?”

“You have a letter but it looks like it was hand delivered.”

“What?” She took the letter and looked it over, not recognising the handwriting, and opened it carefully. The paper inside had been carefully folded and slid out without resistance. Her heart jumped into her throat as she read:

“Dear Toshiko,

My greatest apologies for my outburst today. I was taken off guard by your companion but I understand. It can be frightening for a woman to attend a meeting alone so it is only logical to bring a friend, no matter how brash they may be. I know it wasn’t a slight at me and I hope you can accept the tape as a gift from me. I felt so bad about my rudeness that I had to look you up and write you this letter. Please call me when you get it. I hope we can meet again and we could go for coffee or a meal perhaps. I know we share similar interests and if you gave me a chance I would treat you like a queen. Such a delicate beauty deserves only the best.

Sincerely yours,

Sam.”

Tosh dropped the letter on the worktop, all colour draining from her face. 

Elise read it quickly and realised what had her so shaken. “Woah. Should we call the police?”

“I… I need to check my computer security… I don’t know how he got our address or my name. We might have a security breach.”

“Tosh. It’s going to be ok. I’m not going to let that creep anywhere near you.”

“I know.” She opened her laptop with shaking hands and almost dropped it when she heard a key turn in the door.

“It’s just Owen… Wait here.” She closed the door behind him, and dead bolted it, to his confusion. He placed down the bags that held their dinner, looking between them. 

“What did I miss?”

“That Sam… He found our address.” Tosh whimpered, on the verge of tears.

“I’ll fucking kill him.” 

Elise placed a hand on his arm. “Slow down. He’s a suspect anyway. We can bring him in and retcon him, right? Maybe we should stay at yours tonight.”

He took a deep breath to bury the rage he was barely holding onto. “You’re right. Tosh? Do you want to grab anything?”

Tosh shook her head and folded her laptop, hugging it like a teddy bear.

“I’ll meet you there. I’m going to lock up and sweep the place. It’ll be ok.” Elise soothed, rubbing Toshikos back and ushering her towards Owen so he could take over. Tosh would be fine once the shock wore off but it was better to be somewhere safe while she got her head together. Work dangers she could cope with but anything that followed her home was too much to handle. She’d bulk up security, eat dinner then most likely crash. 

Once they’d left Elise picked up her phone and put it on loudspeaker so she didn’t have to hold it between her ear and shoulder.

Jacks voice drifted up from the speaker. “Did you forget something?”

“I wish. We just got home and Toshikos contact that gave her the tape somehow got our address and hand delivered a letter. We don’t know how yet but Owen’s taken her over to his for the night so he doesn’t go out and find the creep.”

“We’ve never had a security breach like that before. Any idea how he found out?”

“Not yet. It might not be our system. All he’d need is a name and he could get the address through the water or gas companies. I’m just collecting the letter for fingerprints then I’m going to lock up. Just thought you should know.”

“No, I’m glad you called. As soon as we have an address for him I’ll personally bring him in.”

“I don’t have to stop you from killing him too do I?”

“I’m surprised I’m not having to convince you not to.”

“I want to but I have some self control. If he’d actually got inside the house that would be a different matter.”

He chuckled. “Alright. Stay safe tonight. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See you tomorrow.” 

The phone beeped as the call ended and Elise collected her keys. She made one final check of the window locks and closed all the curtains before leaving.

Tosh glared at her screen. The shock had worn off and changed into anger as she triple checked her security. She couldn’t find a single weakness or exploit. 

“How did he get in?!” She grumbled.

Owen sat down next to her and handed her a glass. “Maybe he didn’t.”

“What?”

“I was thinking, he only used your first name. You use that when you sign up for message boards don’t you?”

“Yes, but how would him having my first name give him my address?”

“How many people with the first name Toshiko do you think there are in Cardiff? After that he could look you up by your gas or electric service.”

She paused before draining her wine glass and slamming her laptop closed. “I’ve changed my mind. I hope he’s the one behind the broadcasts so he can get exactly what he deserves!”

“Want to try and find him?”

“Elise is gathering evidence isn’t she?”

“And locking up, yea. Shouldn’t she be here by now?”

“Maybe she found something.”

“Or she’s driving around in case she’s being tailed.”

“That’s not making me feel better.”

“She knows what she’s doing. Anyway, we’ll have him by tomorrow.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“She’s told Jack already.” He handed her his phone with a long message from Jack asking if Tosh was ok and telling Owen that he was already working on finding Sam’s full identity.

Jack sat with his feet up on his desk, waiting for a search to complete. It was a lot easier than the old fashioned way, though he felt like running into this guy might make him appreciate the old days a little more. The last time one of the agents had a stalker he personally went out and dragged their sorry arse to have a swim in the bay with a couple of bricks for flippers. They survived, just. He sat forward as he heard Toshiko’s computer beep. She’d left her own search running for the night and it had just completed. 

“Bingo.” He murmured. Sam had a criminal record. 

  
  
  



	3. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to bring Sam in.

Samuel Phillips, aged 42, had previous arrests for breaking and entering, theft and assault. His mugshot was old but still very much recognisably him. His last known address was in Northumberland but it was easy to track him to his current home. It was a small one bedroom house on a council estate. An unremarkable place in every way. Outside sat a car that seemed more rust than metal and was definitely not road legal. Jack wanted to keep his apprehension a quiet affair so the plan was to pick the lock on the front door, secure both exits from the building and bring him out without a fuss. It rarely went that way but it was worth a shot. Sam’s violent past meant he likely wasn’t going to come along without a fight. Something Owen and Elise were both looking forward to. 

The SUV was parked to keep their approach hidden from the street. Ianto was happy to just be guarding the back door as he doubted Sam would get that far. He was only there just in case things went south. 

The front door swung silently open and Jack took the lead, surveying the bottom floor. It was a mess, wires trailing across the hallway and the light from many monitors casting harsh shadows across the wall. Movement could be heard upstairs and they all braced for a fight. Owen closed the front door and stood to block it as Jack and Elise ascended the stairs. The door to the one bedroom was slightly ajar and Jack pushed it open. A flash of silver announced that Sam was armed. Jack clutched a hand over the side of his neck that had a large stab wound running down it. Elise ran past, knowing her boss would be ok, and grabbed the blade with her left hand. 

“Everyone knows a katana is a slashing weapon you waste of oxygen. Who taught you how to sword fight?” She growled, pulling the blade from his hand and turning it so she had a good grip. 

“Get the fuck out of my house. I don’t want to hurt a girl.” He was trying to sound tough and intimidating but he was visibly shaking.

“Put your hands behind your back and maybe I won’t slice you up for stabbing by boss and stalking my girlfriend.”

“Your girlfriend?”

“Oh and trying to play a traumatising and harmful video file to the nation.”

“Why should I be the only one that sees it?!” He raised his fist to punch her.

“Did you know the katana was rarely used to make a killing blow?” She smirked, dodging out of the way.

“Just get out!” He screamed as he tried again.

“It was a distraction weapon so the opponent wouldn’t notice the smaller blade being stabbed between their ribs.” She said calmly, deflecting his blow with the flat of the blade and jamming a taser that she had clutched in her other hand into his stomach. He hit the floor with a loud thud.

Jack clambered to his feet, wiping the blood from his hands. “Who the hell has a sword in this day and age?!”

“More people than you’d think.” She said, tossing the sword onto the bed and leaning down to bind the mans arms behind his back. 

“I’ll get him back to the hub. Confiscate any weapons, computer equipment and tapes you find.”

“Yes sir.”

“And later you can tell me how the hell you know about swords.”

“I like weaponry.” She shrugged.

Walking into the living room was almost physically painful, each screen showing a different piece of footage. Unplugging the monitors temporarily eased the awful pressure as Ianto made a list of everything they were confiscating with the codes that matched where he would end up putting everything. So far he had twelve monitors, one VHS to DVD converter, two laptops, two desktops (One being used specifically for Tor), five external hard drives and a stack of over 300 DVDs. He wasn’t moving any of it without gloves as even the dust had a smell to it. Elise placed a box down by the door.

“More computer equipment?”

“Nope. This is his blade collection.”

“Anything worth disinfecting and keeping or should I mark it all for disposal?” 

“Actually some of these pieces are really nice. They’re not vintage but they’re sturdy and well balanced.”

“When did you learn all of that? I mean you can’t pick everything up from books.”

Elise took one of the short swords from the box and studied it. “My contact in the rift taught me to use them. Guns don’t exactly work there if you could even find one and hand to hand combat is asking for trouble so it’s a blade or nothing.”

He looked up from his PDA. “You’re not joking, are you.”

“Nope… Had any more tattoo ideas?”

“Actually I like the one you handed me.”

She placed the sword back in the box. “Really?”

“It’s the dragon from the wall.”

“Yea. I thought the red dragon suited you. Dragons are rare, resilient and a lot more cunning than people believe. I thought the symbology would be on point. Plus it’s good to be a little proud of your ancestry.”

“I’ve been looking up artists.”

“Me too. I’ve sent a few emails but they probably won’t reply until later. I was thinking of visiting a few places at the weekend.”

“Mind if I come along?”

“Why would I mind? I’m going to need your input too. There’s one artist I found that specialises in covering scars and working with those with PTSD. Their work is beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“All of this. Listening to my nonsense.”

“It’s not nonsense. We’ve all been through shit and just pretending it didn’t happen only makes things worse. You have to face it to move past it and sometimes just giving fate a big middle finger by changing how you feel is best. If you hadn’t been there to listen to me when I lost my arm or when I was feeling crappy about my leg I don’t think I’d be holding up as well as I am. There are things you just can’t say to someone you’re sleeping with. That’s what best friends are for.”

He paused. “Best friend?”

“Yea. You’re my best friend.”

He smiled, unable to keep his poker face anymore.

Owen sat across from their new prisoner, the relaxed man he had been when they first met gone. Sam was disorientated but more than lucid enough to talk.

“Why did you try and play those videos?” 

Sam looked up, a deep frown decorating his face. “Everyone should see the truth. That’s what the world is. I grew up watching those cartoons. The prince always got the princess but it’s not true. The prince gets fucked over and the princess goes off with some arsehole that treats her like shit. These tapes show what the world really is. It’s cruel and twisted.”

“I might agree with you except you’re no charming prince. You can’t blame the world when you’re the one being a piece of shit.”

“Fuck you and all of your chad friends! Toshiko deserves better than you.”

“What do you know about her? Do you even know her last name? Her favourite food? What music she likes? Her hobbies?”

“I… I’ll learn all that. We could have forever together! If I had her she’d be treated like a queen.”

“She’s a human being not a fucking pet!” Owen roared, losing his temper and slamming his fists onto the table. “Get it into your thick skull before I really get pissed off. Tosh wants nothing to do with you! She will never want anything to do with you! She is better than you in every way, shape and form! She made that very fucking clear. Mention her again and I swear I’ll personally make sure you never see the light of day again!” 

Samuel looked shellshocked.

Owen slowed his breathing and regained his composure, trying to ignore the pulsing pain in his hands. “So you just wanted to punish the world?”

He nodded.

“When did you find the first tape?”

“A year ago. I bought it for a friend but she said she didn’t want it. I watched it myself and… It was sleeping beauty. When the princess pricked her finger the colours… I felt sick but I couldn’t look away. She just started to rot. I could hear screaming and so many voices. I tried to burn it but it wouldn’t even melt. I threw it away and the next morning it was back in my living room. That’s when I knew it was meant to be mine. The tapes are for me. If I have to suffer having those things in my life then so does everyone else. It’s not fair. It’s not. Why do I have to be alone. I’m a nice guy.”

Owen shook his head and walked out, locking the door behind him. 

Jack was waiting. “Think retcon can fix him?”

“He’ll always be an arsehole but he might be a more stable arsehole.”

“Let him sweat it out for a few hours then we’ll deal with him properly.” 

“This is for Tosh, isn’t it?”

“Yep.”

Tosh couldn’t help but smile, hearing how much Owen actually saw her as an equal. She sometimes felt like everyone treated her like a doll that needed protecting, keeping the darkest parts of what they dealt with away from her. She didn’t have to put on a brave face or demand respect, she already had it. 


End file.
